Burned: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance (Lords of the City Book 3)

by Alice Ward

Heather’s face crumpled in the way that signaled she was about to get pissed off. Glaring at London, she opened her mouth again, but a banging noise from somewhere semi-close interrupted her.

  “What was that?” Heather asked, looking over her shoulder at the dark yard.

  “Vampires,” London immediately teased. “They were offended by your marshmallow comments.”

  “Stop it,” she snapped, her eyes wide. “That’s not funny.”

  The rest of us laughed. For some reason, Heather possessed an all too real fear of bloodsucking ghouls that didn’t even exist.

  Another banging permeated the air, distinct between the sounds of our laughter and the traffic down the street.

  “Stop.” I held up my hand for silence. “Hold on. That sounded really close.”

  The chuckles died out, and we cocked our heads to listen. Starlet growled and jumped onto the chair next to Heather. She put her arm around the tiny dog and pulled her in tight.

  More banging, this time closer.

  “Is someone knocking?” Rory asked.

  “Yeah.” I stood quickly with a sigh, the tension that had gathered in my chest melting away. “Someone’s at the front door. I’ll be right back.”

  “Wait a second. I’m coming with you.” Rory stood too.

  “Someone stay here!” Heather nearly cried.

  Rory and I let ourselves in through the back door. The knocking at the front of the house grew louder and more hurried. Whoever wanted inside was desperate. My heartbeat sped up. Who would knock in such a way? The police?

  Maybe something had gone wrong, someone had gotten hurt. That would be the only reason the police would show up at my house.

  Seth.

  At the front door, Rory put her hand on my arm. “Wait. Don’t open it yet. See who it is first.”

  “Who is it?” I asked, raising my voice.

  “It’s me,” came Seth’s thick voice.

  My heart lurched out of my throat, and I lunged for the door. Something was horribly wrong. I could tell from those two little words. They were thick, slurred. Undoing the deadbolt, I nearly ripped the hinges off pulling the knob.

  Seth leaned against the door frame, one arm propped above him. He gazed passively at Rory and me, his eyes squinting against the sudden light.

  “Seth!” I gasped. “What’s wrong?”

  Hesitatingly, he nodded.

  “Why were you knocking like that?” I demanded.

  A second later, I noticed the smell. Seth reeked of alcohol. If I had to guess, a mixture of beer and tequila. I resisted the urge to press my hand against my nose and mouth.

  Rory made a slightly disgusted noise. Thanks to her bartending job, she saw people in this state all the time and tended to have a low tolerance for it outside of work.

  “Come inside,” I told Seth as I slid under his shoulder and wrapped my arm around his waist, pulling him over the threshold.

  I led him to the couch, where he willingly laid down.

  “I’ll go get some water,” Rory said, hurrying from the room.

  I sat down as close to Seth as I dared, watching him intently as his eyes intermittently lowered and shut.

  “Did you drive here?” I asked him.

  He didn’t answer.

  I sucked in a sharp breath. Shit, shit, shit. Anyone with half a brain could see Seth wasn’t in the proper state to operate a vehicle. If he’d driven to my house, it was a miracle that he’d even made it alive.

  “Seth?” I questioned.

  He still didn’t answer. He moved a little bit, stretching his legs out, so at least he was alive.

  Hopefully, he didn’t have alcohol poisoning. I knew CPR and how to bandage a wound, but I didn’t know shit about what to do if someone drank themselves to within an inch of their lives.

  Rory came back with not only a glass of water but some crackers and a bowl — just in case things got messy. A true late night bartender, she set everything down on the coffee table and darted her eyes toward me. “I’ll go let London and Heather know what’s up.”

  I nodded. “Okay.”

  As soon as she left again, Seth sat up.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, reaching my hand toward him. I didn’t touch him, afraid that physical contact might somehow send him into an even worse state.

  “I didn’t drive,” he said, chewing the words like cotton balls. “I didn’t drive.”

  I sighed in relief. “Good.”

  “I took a taxi.”

  “Are you drunk?” The question felt rhetorical. Clearly, he was drunk.

  “Probably,” Seth said, falling back against the couch and letting his head drop to the side.

  Are you like this a lot? Now wasn’t the time to ask that question. Tomorrow, maybe, but not now.

  I tried to remember how many drinks he usually had in one evening while in my presence. Certainly never more than three, and sometimes none, even when I was drinking.

  I picked up the glass of water. “Here, drink some of this.”

  He took a couple sips then pulled away. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay.” A bit of hair stuck to his sweaty forehead. I tentatively reached over and brushed it to the side.

  “I fucked up.”

  “Everyone drinks too much sometimes. It can happen to anyone.”

  Seth grunted.

  “What happened? Where’s your dad?”

  Seth just shook his head and closed his eyes. The talking we’d done seemed to have exhausted him. It was time for me to give up. Getting answers out of him about his dad while he was in a sober state was one thing. Attempting it while he was drunk would be like pulling teeth.

  Hushed voices came from the kitchen.

  “Lay down,” I told Seth. “I’ll be nearby if you need me.”

  He obeyed, turning onto his side and nestling between the throw cushions. He closed his eyes, and I pulled his shoes off for him. By the time I stood and tip-toed from the room, he was asleep.

  My friends were back out by the fire, and I walked outside, the cool night air welcome on my face.

  “What’s going on?” Heather asked.

  “Yeah,” London intoned. “Which vamp got him? Was it the Twilight vampire or an Anne Rice one?”

  “Don’t forget about True Blood,” Rory said.

  “Ooh,” London cooed. “Yeah! I hope it was Alexander Skarsgard. Maybe he felt Seth up a little bit before doing the deed.”

  I took my seat, not able to join in the joking.

  “Stop!” Heather snapped at the two of them. “This is serious. What’s going on? Why is he drunk?”

  “I don’t know,” I said flatly, the glass of wine I’d left behind now not appealing.

  “He didn’t say anything?”

  “Not enough for me to figure out what happened. He did tell me he took a taxi here, though, so that’s good news. At least we know he didn’t kill anyone on his way over.”

  “Did he say anything about his dad?”

  I chewed on my lip. “No. I asked him where his dad was and he didn’t answer.” I sighed and looked at the quiet house. “This is too much. If his dad is the reason he got drunk tonight I can’t ignore it.”

  Heather pursed her lips. “Yeah, I guess you can’t after all.”

  The conversation turned to more lighthearted things, like HBO and plans for Halloween, but there was an underlying current of unease.

  The girls didn’t stay much longer, the original, carefree mood of the night not able to hold up with the unconscious man on the couch. By the time I locked the front door behind them and crept into the living room to check on Seth, I was beat.

  He laid still, on his side, his arms pressed against his chest. I put my hand near his mouth to check for breathing. Only when I felt his exhale against my skin did I relax. I couldn’t tear myself away from watching him. Finally, taking a blanket from the back of one of the chairs, I laid it across him and tucked it in on the sides, then turned on the floor lamp in the hall so he’d
have some light in case he woke up. He probably didn’t have alcohol poisoning, but instead was just headed for a killer hangover.

  Starlet jumped onto the couch and turned around in a circle before settling down against Seth’s legs.

  “Come on, girl,” I whispered, patting my thigh.

  Her dark eyes stared mournfully back at me. She didn’t even lift her head.

  “Bed,” I told her. “Come on. It’s time to go to bed.”

  Still, she didn’t move.

  I sighed. She was attached. It was official. Even my best friend couldn’t tear herself away from Seth.

  “I get it,” I whispered to her, then climbed the stairs for bed.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  I slept fitfully, rolling around and kicking the blankets off, then stared at the dark wall. I fell asleep for a little bit only to repeat it all over again. I’d left the bedroom curtains open. Shadows from tree branches danced across the wall, shaking and rattling their way across the paint.

  I couldn’t stop thinking about everything that had happened. First Seth’s mom and her flooded basement, his weird behavior at her house, then his dad showing up again, Seth coming to my place plastered. Were these events separate and unconnected, or was something else going on here?

  I’d tried to give Seth space. I’d tried to let him do his own thing. I’d waited for him to come to me for help instead of offering it, but it was getting hard. When I saw something wrong, I had to fix it. That’s just the way it was with me. Fixing was my strength, the reason I owned my own home and business before turning twenty-five. Unfortunately, when it came to my personal relationships, it seemed that trait had no real place.

  I rolled over, putting my back to the window, and sighed. It felt weird to be sleeping alone in bed. No Starlet. No Seth. Both of them were so close but untouchable.

  Unable to take it anymore, I pulled on my slippers and climbed out of bed, checking the time on the alarm clock before I left. Two-thirty.

  At least I didn’t have to be at work in the morning.

  The downstairs was just as quiet as when I’d left it, the hall lamp still on but the corners shrouded in darkness. Going slowly, I crept past the living room and felt for the kitchen light switch.

  The harsh glow filled the kitchen, revealing someone sitting in the breakfast nook. I gasped and then steadied myself against the door frame.

  “You scared me,” I told Seth.

  “Sorry. Did I wake you up?”

  “No. I’ve been up for a while. I was just going to make some tea. You want some?”

  “That sounds good, thanks.”

  He propped his elbow on the table and rested his head in his hand. He seemed to have just been sitting there at the table. Was he still drunk, or now suffering from coming down?

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Pretty shitty.”

  “Yeah,” I sympathetically said. “Sorry.”

  I filled the teapot and set it to boil then got two mugs and tea bags down. Seth hadn’t moved from his spot, so I sat across from him, making sure to keep a careful distance. A new space had come between us when he walked into my house tonight. I didn’t know why, but it was there, changing everything. Something had happened to Seth.

  Now would be about the time to talk about the whole drama… right? He seemed at least semi-sober.

  But was there a point? Things just felt different, and when it came to anything to do with Seth’s dad, there was no getting anywhere. I’d probably have better luck driving upstate to talk to his mom.

  All I could do was just sit here, with him. All I could do was accept my place in Seth’s life.

  Until I couldn’t anymore.

  Which I didn’t want. I didn’t want to be driven away from him, pushed to a point where being together wasn’t worth all the pain and secrets.

  I pursed my lips and kept my face turned away from Seth. The tea kettle whistled. I poured our drinks and brought them to the table.

  “Thanks,” Seth murmured, wrapping a hand around his mug.

  I nodded and lifted my mug to my face to breathe in some of the steam.

  “Looks like I made a fool of myself in front of your friends.”

  I chuckled, mostly from the relief of hearing him talk. “They’re pretty forgiving. Especially when the offender is a cute guy, so don’t worry about it.”

  He didn’t smile.

  I couldn’t take it anymore. What were we doing here, just shooting the shit? If so, it was a waste of time. “Seth, I don’t want to be intrusive, but I’m trying to be there for you. It’s hard, though, when I don’t know what’s going on. And what you share is your choice, yes, but…” I sighed.

  He looked at me with sad, or maybe drunk, eyes.

  Did he even understand what I was saying? Quickly, I back pedaled. “Sorry. We don’t have to talk about this now. You’re not feeling good. Just forget about it. Can I get you anything else?”

  “No,” he said quietly.

  I nodded and let my head droop forward. The restlessness that had kept me awake was fading, and with my attempt of getting information out of Seth proving fruitless, I was about ready to go back to bed.

  “My father wasn’t always this way,” he said suddenly.

  I perked back up and looked at him. “Yeah… you’ve said that.”

  Seth stared at a spot on the table. “But now he blames it all on me. He thinks that I’m the reason.”

  I reached out and touched his wrist. “The reason for what?”

  Seth shook his head like he was in pain.

  “For his divorce?” I asked. “For his problems with your grandfather? Seth, none of that is your fault. It can’t be.”

  “And he’s never going to forgive me,” Seth continued, still talking to the table. “I don’t blame him… I don’t care.”

  A shiver went down my back. The flat way he spoke… his eyes glued to the table… Did Seth even know I was there? Or was he lost in some strange inner world?

  I ducked my head to make eye contact. “Seth… what are you talking about? Did something happen? Like, today with your dad? Or that weekend?”

  He jerked as if waking from a deep sleep. His eyes, bags ringing them, latched onto mine. “I’m still drunk.”

  “Yeah,” I said seriously. “I think you are. How about you go to sleep?”

  He stood. “I need to take a walk.”

  My mouth fell open. “Seth, you can’t be serious. It’s the middle of the night. You need to go to bed.”

  “I need to think.” He sounded like a robot.

  “You need to go to sleep. And you can’t walk around right now. It’s not safe. Come on. Let me take you upstairs.”

  Taking his arm, I guided him out of the kitchen. He looked wistfully in the direction of the front door, and I tensed. What if he tried to leave? I wasn’t strong enough to stop him. I could call the police, but if he wasn’t driving there would be nothing to arrest him for.

  The idea of him walking around the city in the middle of the night intoxicated didn’t sit right. Luckily, I managed to get him past the front door and up the stairs, then all the way to my bedroom. After settling him down on the bed and pulling a blanket over him, I closed the curtains and went across the hall to the guest bedroom.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Seth was gone when I woke up. I knew it the second I opened my bedroom door and found my bedroom empty. Still, I searched the rest of the house.

  Grabbing my phone, I frantically called him.

  “Shit,” I spat when he didn’t answer.

  I pressed my fingertips against my throbbing temples and leaned against the kitchen counter to focus on my breathing. When had he left? Had it been during the night while he was still drunk? And why hadn’t I heard him?

  I’d left the TV on, that was why. After twenty minutes of lying in bed in the guest room, I’d resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn’t be sleeping and grabbed the remote. Seth must have left sometime while I was zoned out
watching a bad stand-up comedy.

  And now he was gone. Maybe in an emergency room somewhere or unconscious under a bridge.

  My phone beeped as I received a text. I grabbed it so quickly that my hands fumbled and I nearly dropped it.

  I need some time to think. Call you later.

  A relieved sigh shook my body. Seth was all right.

  But he clearly didn’t want to talk to me.

  I went about my morning routine, feeding Starlet and showering, but the empty pit inside of me grew with each minute. Caring about a person, loving a person, came with a price. If it had been any other Sunday before Seth came into my life, I would be going about my day carefree. I’d be working out and then meeting up with one of the girls for brunch or a walk in the park. Instead, I was at home, exhausted from sleep deprivation and making myself sick with worry over a boyfriend.

  Right now, it was hard to believe a relationship was worth it.

  But I couldn’t allow myself to think that way. Seth needed me. Even if he wouldn’t share everything with me. Like Heather said, people had their secrets. I couldn’t pry and expect him to share.

  But damn it if I wasn’t dying to know it all.

  I resisted the urge to text him and ask when he was coming back. One thing at a time. Change and go to the gym. Working out would take up at least an hour. After that, I would have lunch. And then, only then, could I give myself permission to get in touch with him.

  I changed into workout clothes and pulled my hair into a high ponytail. “Be back soon,” I told Starlet as I grabbed my keys from the front hook. I pulled the door open and stepped outside.

  And right into Seth.

  “God!” I gasped, skidding to a stop right before we collided.

  “Sorry. I was just about to knock.”

  I gathered a breath. “It’s okay. How are you?” I rubbed my hand over his arm, taking a chance, giving him the physical affection I wasn’t even sure he wanted.

  He reached up, took my hand and squeezed it. The gesture filled me with relief. Things were going to be all right.

  “I’m feeling better. Where are you going?”

  “To the gym. But I don’t have to go.”

  “No, it’s all right.”

  “Really. No, really I don’t have to go.” I dropped my keys into my pocket to show him I meant what I said. “I’d rather spend some time with you. Last night was quite the night.”